A possible inclusion of Sweden and Finland in NATO will be serious? military and political consequences that will not be left unanswered by Moscow, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has warned.
NATO’s persistent efforts to “pull these countries into orbit for its interests and opportunistic policies” have not gone unnoticed by Russia, said Maria Zakharova, the ministry’s spokeswoman.
“It is quite clear that Finland and Sweden will join NATO … would have serious military and political consequences that would require an adequate response from Russia,” she pointed out.
The policy of not entering into any alliances, traditionally conducted by Stockholm and Helsinki, is seen by Moscow as “an important factor in ensuring stability in northern Europe”, Zakharova added.
NATO has expressed its satisfaction with what is called in-depth cooperation with Finland and Sweden, which “shares” the bloc’s values and contributes to its activities.
At a June summit, the US-led military alliance promised to further strengthen these ties “in support of our common security, including through crisis management preparations, exercises and the exchange of information and analysis.”
The same statements were repeated during NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s visits to Stockholm and Helsinki at the end of October.
Earlier this month, Moscow issued two documents – one addressed to NATO and the other to Washington – demanding guarantees that would guarantee security for all sides. The proposals included limiting NATO’s construction near the Russian borders and excluding the enlargement of the bloc.
Speaking on Moscow’s proposal, Zakharova reiterated that “excluding the expansion of NATO and the deployment of weapons systems that threaten our security near the Russian borders will be the key issues in the forthcoming talks with the United States and NATO.”
Swedish authorities previously rejected the Kremlin’s initiative, saying that “rejecting any future expansion of NATO will reduce the chances of making independent political choices.” The Finnish government also insisted on the need for “national room for maneuver”, including applying for NATO membership.
(RT.com)
Source: sn.dk